As Britain’s sailing team aim for gold in the Olympics, you can take a stab at being the next Ben Ainslie at Push the Boat Out Day. Chris Price reports.

It is exhilarating to lean out of a boat as the wind hits the sail, using your body weight to counter balance the power of nature and stay on course.

Getting to that stage is a different matter. Yet despite never having sailed before, within an hour the instructors at Bewl Water got me sailing with the best of those out on the water that day.

“I used to get the kids to lean out the boat and touch the back of their head in the water,” said Royal Yachting Association (RYA) development officer Sam Rowe. “Once they do that they get over any fear and the rest comes naturally.”

Stepping into a sailing boat for the first time, it’s easy to scoff at the prospect of throwing your weight around inside and outside the confines of this modest vessel. That is until about 10 minutes into the lesson on the reservoir near Lamberhurst, when the instructor hands over the ropes.

“It is not as difficult as a lot of people perceive it,” said Bewl’s chief instructor Jon Stanfield. “It is very accessible. Anyone aged eight to 80 or with a disability can come and learn to sail. We are all geared up for anyone. who wants to try it.”

Giving it a go is the name of the game at the moment, with the RYA organising Push the Boat Out Day to capitalise on the interest generated in the sport by the London 2012 Olympics. Taking place across the country on Saturday, July 21, sailing clubs across Kent are opening their doors to newcomers and helping them find out what it is like to take to the water.

“Most people struggle with wind awareness,” said Jon. “It is about getting people to understand where the wind is coming from. Where to sit your sails to make your boat go as fast as possible. Also tacking is very difficult for most people their first few times.”

Ah yes, tacking. The sailing term for turning the boat through the wind, my first few attempts at a 90-degree turn end up in a few 360s, throwing myself under the sail a couple of times as I struggled to control the boat. The trick, it emerges, is to concentrate on straightening the rudder as soon as you have slipped underneath the boom, before then swapping hands holding the rope and steer.

Once you get the hang of all that, it is time to crank up the speed. As the sail picks up the wind the boat leans over requiring a solid shift in weight to the other side for balance. Rather than Jon switching sides, he prompts me to lean out the boat. Putting my foot under the strap on the floor, it takes a few false starts before I pluck up the courage to give it a go. However, slowly but surely you lean out a bit more, then a bit more, and before you know it, everything above half your body is out your boat and you are going at 20 knots.

“It is just like riding a bike,” mused Sam once the boat had made it back to shore. “Once you can ride without stabilisers you are sorted.”

However, I didn’t quite manage to go the whole hog and dip my head in the water. That’s for the next lesson.

Families can learn to sail at Push the Boat Out Day events at Bewl Valley Sailing Club, near Lamberhurst (www.bewlvalleysc.co.uk); Broadstairs Sailing Club (www.broadstairssailingclub.com); Dover Sea Sports Centre (www.doverseasports.co.uk); Herne Bay Sailing Club(www.hernebaysailingclub.co.uk); Blue Circle Sailing Club, Cliffe, near Rochester (www.bluecirclesailingclub.co.uk).Going out on the water typically includes a small cost, typically £6 for two or three hours at Bewl Water.Further tuition is available, with a two-day beginners course costing £92 at Bewl Water.A full two-day, learn-to-sail course costs £140, with a RYA certificate awarded that allows sailors to head out on to the waters all over the world. More details atwww.rya.org.uk

There’s the chance to see some competitive sailing this weekend when Broadstairs Sailing Club holds their junior races. The club is hosting a sail past at lunchtime on Saturday, July 21, linked with Royal Temple Yacht Club from Ramsgate and a three-race series in the afternoon.